Power to the People!

The authors of Groundswell have made an excellent point in Chapters 9 and 10.  While earlier chapters in the book have discussed the benefits and strengths of the Groundswell, these chapters explain how to use the Groundswell to your own benefit.  How to listen and interact with the Groundswell.

In all the talk about Twitter, I decided to that I should do an experiment of my own, and took to my largest grievance of all the companies in the world: Charter Communications. 

Let me explain: Charter provides my Internet and Cable.  I wanted to switch to DirectTV, even though I heard some pretty awful things about them, but my landlord wouldn't let me. That left me with the local monopolizing provider: Charter.

Let's just say I have had somewhere between 5-10 absolutely awful and no positive customer service related issues with Charter in the past few months.

So, after reading Groundswell, I did what any member of the contributors would do, and I tweeted.

@CharterCom I'm SICK of reps calling and refusing to hang up when I tell them, truthfully, that I can't talk cause im driving #leavemealone

What am I hoping for by tweeting this?  Well, I guess I'm hoping that Charter will acknowledge me.  Maybe apologize. Maybe give me a free movie.  Maybe.

The point is, as a Charter customer I have a few ideas.  I think that people shouldn't be constantly nagged and bothered.  I think instead of telemarketers insisting that I listen to what they have to say, they they should listen to what I have to say.

Einstein sends Charter straight to voicemail

I can do this for any business.  Just because I am not a Charter employee, or a dentist, or a retailer, I can still give the opinion from the consumer standpoint.  Furthermore, I'll give my opinions away for free.  Again, I wouldn't say no to a free movie.

This is what Groundswell is talking about.  All anyone wants is to give their opinion and have it acknowledged. We want to feel special and a part of the process.  And If I hate it, then that means that there are tons of others out there who do as well. 

Listen to me.  Listen to us, the Groundswell.

We all have those companies that we hate dealing with.  Personally, I love Verizon.  I know that many people dislike them, but I don't have much in the way of negatives to say.  Are they more expensive than others?  Yes.  Do my parents pay my phone bill?  Absolutely.  However, I call customer service and I have always been taken care of excellently. 

So, if Verizon were to ask me what I thought, I could tell them the things I like, and they could do more of that.  And I could give them some stuff to improve on, also. 

We are ordinary members of society.  We are the Groundswell. Use us, use our opinions to better your company, and all parties involved will be happier.

Memes taking over!

Right now, our very own Clark University is experiencing a groundswell phenomena of its own.  A Facebook page popped up last week, called Clark University Memes.  

Clarkie's have been posting various humorous memes, all centered around one subject: Clark University.  Facebook went nuts.  All of my newsfeed were different memes, each more funny, but more importantly, more relatable than the last.

But what does this mean for Clark?  What would happen if perspective students saw this? Would "becoming fabulous" entice them or scare them away?

I think that these memes are a good thing.  Even the more negative ones.  The most negative topics considered in the meme's seem to revolve around either Main South being a not-so-safe place to live and the cafeteria food being, well...

Before I came to Clark, I certainly knew that Main South was dangerous.  In fact, I thought it was a lot worse than I do now.  I definitely did not expect much from cafeteria food, given that it is cafeteria food.  

So thinking back 5 years to when I was a high school senior, I still would have come to Clark.  In fact, these memes would have made me more excited to come (and I was pretty excited!)

17-year-old me finding out that Clark was giving me a scholarship.  SO excited!

The meme-phenomena that has taken the campus by storm this week may be, to some, getting old.  To others, it is a fun, exciting way to share creativity.  To think of silly-Clark things and see how many other people think of those things to.  Like the penguin meme above about climbing the stairs in JC.  A friend of mine and I used to joke about this constantly, but we thought we were the only ones out of shape enough to actually get winded going to class.  Nope, there's a meme about it now, and that means  its real.

Clarkies, the groundswell, feel passionate and connected enough to the University right now to spend their spare, non-class time (or rather, procrastination time) making memes about Clark University.  That's kinda huge.  They're not about one particular facet or person.  Other schools that are experiencing this sort of thing are in danger of all of their memes concentrating on social life such as a frat or sorority.  Clark is a small enough community, however, where one meme can relate to a whole campus of people.  Pretty cool.

One group that I am, Choices, a sexual education group, will momentarily be rolling out an unofficial meme-inspired Facebook campaign.  It will remind Clarkies that they have this awesome sex ed group here on campus that has a whole lot to offer!  This is a campaign that will seem like it is a part of the groundswell.  I suggested doing this when I realized, hey, this thing is getting big.  If its getting big then that means that Clarkie's will see our meme's, and will have a quick way to learn about what Choices offers.  

Now we just need to sit back and see how the groundswell reacts.

The Social M. Groundswell for the Cure Foundation

Reading Groundswell has been making me think about one particular event that took Social Media by storm.

Last week, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation announced that it would be cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood pre-screening services. 

The groundswell went crazy with this information.  The conclusion everyone was coming to (which Planned Parenthood provided) was that it was a political move.  That the Komen foundation is so staunchly Pro-Life that they would stop funding a non-abortion related service to an institution that is known to provide abortions.

Now, wait, let’s be clear here.  Komen was funding mammograms.  These are breast cancer screenings.  Breast cancer happens in the breasts.  Pregnancy happens in the uterus.  Komen was never funding abortions.

So now that we now the difference between boobs and babies we can move on.

Lots of people already knew this difference, and lots of people were outraged.  Lots of these outraged people are the same people who donate to Susan G. Komen.  They are the same people who buy pink pens, ladles, t-shirts, ribbons, ANYTHING to support finding a cure for breast cancer.

Perfect if invited to a breast black-tie party

These people are, for all intents and purposes, Susan G. Komen’s customers.  And they spoke.

Familiar images from past times when Planned Parenthood has been under scrutiny popped up declaring the same statement: I Stand with Planned Parenthood.

Women and Men alike pledged to give their money to Avon walk or directly to Planned Parenthood.  Or to any other organization that’s main agenda is actually curing breast cancer.

Mayor Bloomberg pledged to match donations up to $250,000 towards Planned Parenthood.

Then, within 72 hours, The Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure reversed their decision.

They assured the nation that Planned Parenthood and other organizations currently receiving grants will continue to receive grants.

So what happened here?

As Groundswell explains, companies and organizations have to listen to their consumers. 

Your brand is what your customers say your brand is.

Susan G. Komen was synonymous with finding a cure.  When they cut off that funding, they clearly had no clue how the groundswell would react. 

They didn’t know who they were to the Groundswell.  In that decision that they made and so rapidly reversed, their brand changed. 

Upon further reading, what hasn’t been mentioned is why Komen claims to have taken away funding.  They had new guidelines (which they assigned themselves) which stated they would not give grants to any organization currently under investigation.  Planned Parenthood is currently under investigation.

Whether or not this was a deliberate ploy in a Pro-Life political move is something that we may never truly know.

However, the Groundswell has spoken.  And now they have basically been re-branded as the Susan G. Komen for Life Foundation.

Komen’s image is so set now as an Anti-Choice group that they are unlikely to ever reach the amount of donations, but more importantly, the brand that they once had.

Chapter 5 and 6 of Groundswell explain listening and talking with the groundswell.  Komen listened to the groundswell when they reversed their decision.  They were listening when an executive resigned.  Now they need to talk with the groundswell.
Or do they?

Chapter 6 suggests that those who are not sure where they stand with the groundswell should be hesitant.  If people were happier with them then it would be no problem to jump right in.  This means that they should, if they choose to join, have direct, key talking points.  Engage the groundswell, but do so in a structured environment such that they can limit the negative feedback.

Much like other PR fiascos, social media may have a chance to recover this.  Komen foundation needs to start apologizing and explaining.  They need to do it fast.  They need to have people outside of their organization accepting the apologies.  They need cancer survivors who they helped to have videos on Youtube.  Most of all, they need to be prepared for all the hatred that the groundswell with throw at them.  It may be a risky move.  However, at this point, the internet is so abuzz against them that putting themselves out there may just be the only move possible.